John b



(No Model.) J". R. LOMAS.

ORGAN CASE;

fay 2 Patented June 26, 1883.

n. PETERS. PholwLflhogra her. wnsmn m. n. c.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JoHN n. LOMAS, on NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF I TO B. SHONINGER,

or SAME PLACE.

-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 280,197, dated June 26, 1883.

Application filed December 26, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN R; LOMAS, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Organ-Gases; and I do herebydeclare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which IO said drawings constitute part of this specifica tion, and represent, in

Figure 1, a front view, and Fig. 2 ai1 end View, of the case opened and standing; Fig. 3, an endview, and Fig. 4 a front View, of the I 5 case closed and folded; Fig. 5, a transverse section through the lower part of the case in its folded condition, enlarged; Fig. 6, a vertical central section of the lower part of the case standing, enlarged; Fig. 7, a transverse section through the music-pocket, enlarged.

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of cases for reed-organs.

In, this class of instruments that portion of the case below thekey-boa'rd performs no office v other than to support the case, (except where .book-receivers are introduced into the fronts,) and for all practical purposes legs applied to the case would serve the same purpose; but for beauty of the instrument the inclosed case is desirable. This lower part of thecase occupies nearly half of the space of the entire organ, and consequently nearly doubles the bulk over what the organ would be were it not for this lower part of the case. Owing to this great bulk, the cases require a large amount of room for storage, large and expensive boxes for transportation, and a corresponding cost of freight.

The object of this invention is to construct 40 the case so that the lower part may be folded, and thereby contract the case into little more space than that necessary for the mechanism of the organ, and whereby great saving of space and of expense in boxing and transportation is attained, and yet preserve the ornamental appearance of a solid case, and in such a folding, organ-case, as more fully hereinafter described my invention consists.

That part of the case above the key-board may be of any of the usual constructions, and

(No model.)

a I will first describe only that part which is below and made folding.- B, the front, has the usual pedal-opening. To the lower edge of that opening the blow-pedals G C are hinged. The front, in which are the pedals, is hinged to the frame of the organ, as at a, and so as to fold up directly beneath the bellows, as seen in Fig. 5, the bellows D being collapsed. The blow-pedals are connected to the bellows by a strap, d, in the usual manner. This strap permits the pedals to close upon the front without disengaging the straps from the bellows, as seen in Fig. 5. The lower part, E, of the back is hinged to the case above, and so asto fold forward and directly upon the front, as seen in Fig. 5. The lower parts, F F, of the two ends of the case are hinged at a point below the folded back, as at e, and so that the one may turn inward toward the other, and the two thus be closed upon the back, as seen 7c in Fig. 4. Thus the case is contracted by nearlyone-half its extentthat is to say, pro vided the upper part be no higher than is actually necessary for the mechanism of the case.

I prefer to fold the back onto the front and the ends onto the back, as described, yet the ends may be first folded onto the front, then. the back onto the ends. I

When the case is set up, as seen in Fig. l, hooks f or other devices may be employed to secure the parts in the upright position.

In the better class of organs a high and ornamental back is desirable, which necessarily extends the case and increases its bulk. To construct this part of the case so that it may 8 5 be contracted, I divide the top at a point about midway of its width, as at h, and hinge the one part, G, to the other part, H, as at z, and cut from that central point downward and for ward to about the line of the keyboard, each 0 corresponding to the other, so that when closed the parts will meet each other, as seen in Fig. 3.

Across the extreme top some ornament is desired. (Here represented as an upward projection showing a series of points.) This orna- 5 mental section or capping L is offset from the extreme back P, as at Z, and so that when the top is closed this ornamental section L will clear the front of the key-board, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5. This ornamentation may ex- IOO tend as far down the front as desirable, accord ing to the extent or height of the ornamental section, and when folded occupies no more room that it would were such ornamental section not present. In the part G, I form one or more pockets, 1k, byintroducing a partition, 1', into the part G between the two ends, and provide these pockets with a door or stop, .9, so that music or books may be introduced into the pockets when the case is open, and when the top is turned dmvmvard the stop s will prevent the books from falling out of the pockets. I prefer to make the pockets by intro dueing the artitiou parallel with what is the bottom of the part G- 'when it is open; but it may be vertical and parallel with the back ll. In either case, however, the stop is necessary in order that the sheets or books may not escape when the top is turned down.

The pedals may be detaehably connected to the front, so that they maybe first laid against the under side of the bellows then the back folded upon the pedals, and the front upon the back; yet I prefer the 'firstdeseribed arra-ngement.

1. An organ-ease constructed with the lower part of the back, front, and ends hinged to the upper part of the case, and each independent ofthe other, the front constructed with a pedal- Opening, and having the blow-pedals hinged thereto in said openings, and the pedals also connected to the bellows, whereby the said back, ends, and front may be folded inward, the said pedals carried inward by the front, and so that said back, ends, front, and pedals maybe folded up onto the under side of the upper part of the ease, substantially as described.

2. A case for reed-organs, having the upper front )art, (1, of the case made separate from the rear part, III, said parts being hinged together on the central line of the top, so that the part G will turn backward on the top when open, the ends of the two parts G H being eorrespondingly shaped to close together, and the part G having a pocket, R, :lormed therein, provided with stops at the mouth of thepoekei, substantially as described.

JOHN R. LOll'lA 

